


let us read a story, my love

by elle_ish



Series: The Somewhat Domestic Life of Sheith [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Bathing/Washing, Comfort Reading, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, M/M, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Non-Sexual Touching, Reading, SHEITH - Freeform, it happens after the series ends to be exact, its just pure fluff, post 7 season
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-11
Updated: 2018-08-11
Packaged: 2019-06-26 01:25:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15652917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elle_ish/pseuds/elle_ish
Summary: Years after the war has come to a end, both Shiro and Keith continue to live exhausting, adventure filled lives. One night after a particularly hard week and little sleep, Shiro finally gets his relaxing evening in a surprising way:Shiro likes reading, and much to his chagrin, Keith likes being read to.





	let us read a story, my love

**Author's Note:**

> This is the fluffiest thing I've ever, and probably will ever, write  
> It's just... fluff, pure, bathing, reading to each other, holding each other fluff, that I needed after s7  
> I plan to do more for this series. It's my 'what-I'd-like-to-imagine' post series fic where Sheith is married  
> Also, I wrote this in like an hour and did a small edit, so basically! Unbeta'd and I'll look over and reedit it later, let me know of any errors :)  
> Hope you guys enjoy :)

It’s well past eight pm, Shiro checking and rechecking is watch to make sure he’s reading it correctly. Keith should have been home hours ago. Luckily, Shiro had heard about the small Galra fleet having attacked the Coku Tau 4 quadrant and the civilians living there.

Shiro, having Atlas and his team, was a defender of Earth and the surrounding solar system. Keith, in contrast and still ever much the Black Paladin, had the rest of the Universe to take care of; it wasn’t always easy with the rebellion armies and angered Galra, but the two made do. They tried to see each other as much as possible. Even with living together, this proved difficult with their busy lives.

It seemed as though they were more married to their jobs than to each other at times.

It had been a tough week for Keith specifically, small attack after small attack, diplomatic meeting after diplomatic meeting, interview after interview, and settling domestic disputes between aliens and humans who wanted Voltron’s word rather than anyone else's (why, Shiro didn’t understand, but he knew better than to argue).

And Shiro knew Keith was a fighter. He was getting better with the arguments and constant string of crowds and people that came with multiple cultures living on one planet, but Keith wasn’t made for living in large groups. He needed space, time to himself.

He was made for racing through the stars, gracefully intertwining through the asteroid belts and beautiful nebulas. He was a man to be set free, and Shiro knew the never ending social needs were getting to him. He needed a break. Time off, and away from the masses of people.

So when Keith slugged his was through the door, quarter to nine, Shiro could already sense how his shoulders sagged, could practically see the circles under his lovers eyes. Shiro didn’t need to turn around to know that.

A single warm and calloused hands settled against Shiro’s shoulder, massaging the muscle over the material of Shiro’s garrison uniform, and Shiro sighed at the contact. It distracted him from his own work that needed to be done.

He felt the press of lips against his temple. “It’s almost nine, Shiro. Why’re you still working?” He breathed into Shiro’s ear, making a shiver roll down his spine. “I could ask you the same thing,” Shiro responded, closing his laptop and the daily reports that he’d been reading along with it.

Shiro could see the plastic bag of take-out from just beyond his view, the smell doing wonders for the room. Shiro had to chuckle, turning and reaching for Keith’s waist, pulling him into his lap.

Keith, quickly dropping the food on the table so it didn’t fall, rag dolled into Shiro’s arm, his own arms and legs splayed out as he starfished all of his weight against Shiro.  
It was a sight to behold, and rather unpretty, Shiro had to admit.

Shiro made a noise of surprise. Keith laughed, more of a snort and a breathy thing than a laugh, and gained reuse of his limbs. He turned as much as he could in Shiro’s arms to his side, laying his temple between the junction of Shiro’s neck and chest. Shiro, in return, pressed his lips against Keith’s hair, cheek, wherever he could.

Sighing, Keith lulled his head backwards on Shiro’s shoulder, eyeing him from below. “Hey,”

Shiro squeezed him tightly. “Hey.”

“I brought food.” It was raspy. Tired. Keith looked pale, having not gotten much sleep this past week and fighting a hectic battle only hours before.

“Mmm, I see that. Chinese?”

Shiro felt the shake of the others head, dark raven hairs tickling his skin. “No. Went with that Pho place we’ve been meaning to try.”

Shiro shuffled Keith in his arms, extending his one free arm to grab at the one of the three bowls. “What’d you-”

“They’re all gluten-free, Mister Healthy. I made sure. Mines the one with beef.”

“The other two?”

Keith shrugged, eyes closing. “Wasn’t sure what you felt like. There’s a vegetable tofu, and uhh-” Keith yawned, “umm, a seafood medley. Shrimp, umm, mussels, and somethin’ else.”

Shiro could feel Keith sagging, head becoming heavier from where it rested.

Pressing another kiss to Keith’s head, Shiro said, “I think it’s time to get you to bed.”

And Keith honest to god whined. “Nooo.” He muttered, shuffling around and sitting up, rubbing his eyes. “Mm up, swear.”

Keith turned to Shiro, hands bracing either side of his jaw and rubbing at Shiro’s 12 o’clock shadow. “Haven’t seen you all day. Barely this week. Just,” he looked around idly, trying to find the proper words. Shiro let Keith take his time. “Wanted to. Be with you.” Keith would usually be embarrassed by his broken wording, but was too tired to care as he kissed Shiro. Gentle and soft yet firm,, Keith wasn’t looking for anything more than comfort.

This man was too much for him. Three years into their relationship and Keith was still finding ways to make Shiro’s heart soar.

Or maybe Shiro was just that easy.

“Well, I have an idea then.” Honestly, it was something Shiro had been wanting to do for a short while. The idea having come when he was reading peacefully alone in the bath one night, after he’d been just released from the hospital. Attack on Earth, what could he do? It was only a minimal two day stay anyways (Keith had not been happy, having been away on a recon mission a few galaxies north from Earth)

Shiro had been enamoured by the idea, but had just been too busy and too embarrassed to bring up. Why? He didn’t know. It wasn’t an odd request, and Keith was easy going and open minded when it came to Shiro. As lately the two had spent more time sleeping with each other rather than being awake. And not the fun kind of sleeping, either. They’d been too tired for anything more than just falling onto their bed and passing out.

The other day Shiro didn’t even make it under the covers, waking up at 5 am with his partner already gone and Shiro’s grandmother’s quilt resting over him.

Keith quirked an eyebrow, moving forward as Shiro patted his stomach, getting up.

“You put away the Pho, we can have that for lunch tomorrow. I’m going to run a bath. We’re relaxing tonight. Nothing more.”

Keith shuffled upwards, dragging his feet against the floor, saluting Shiro. “Aiy aiy, Captain.” Shiro swatted at his long hair, now long enough to braid, but Shiro noticed how it’d been one of the rare days where it was left unkempt, down, swirling around Keith’s shoulders and neck. Shiro ran his hands through it quickly, before making his way to the guest bathroom.

The ensuite had its own tub, huge and more like a jacuzzi, but tonight Shiro wanted intimacy. He wanted that closeness that only having Keith in his arms and against his chest could bring, so he chose the normal sized tub in the other bathroom, already knowing how his long legs would hurt in the morning. Definitely worth it, though.

He ran the water, grabbed the epsom salt, debated on candles but decided against it as he needed light for his plan.

He shucked off his Garrison uniform and tossed his briefs to the side, and then left to grab the books from his bedroom and some bottles of water from the fridge. Keith lingered in the kitchen, quickly eating a protein bar before following the ever naked Shiro into the second bathroom without even a bat of his eye or a question forming from his lips.

He just got it.

The bath was almost ready, Shiro grabbing the towels to bring them closer to the tub surround, and sat down, his back pressed against the wall as the hot water sloshed around his moving body. Keith smiled with fatigue and reassurance, throwing off his own clothes, following suite.

The only thing he wore was the string of metal around his neck, the ring attached, matching Shiro’s own.

The chains of gold were worn proudly, like dog-tags, and believed to be a better way to go with their line of work. Keith was always worried he could lose a limb or finger during battle, and instead placed the ring closer to his heart than a place that was easily seen by the enemy.

Keith pulled at his own necklace mindlessly, Shiro mimicking the movement with his own as Keith ran his eyes over Shiro’s body.

Shiro spread his legs in invitation and watched as Keith ungracefully moved to stand in the tub, limbs heavy. Shiro could see the bruises and scratches from the day’s battle. He swallowed, and decided to be as gentle as possible, running his hands over Keith’s waist and past the long since healed scars. Keith hissed when Shiro runs his hands against a nasty bruise on the jut of his hip bone, and Shiro shushed him, kissing against the injured area, making sure to run his hands over every inch of Keith’s skin before he lets Keith settle.

He’d missed him.

So much.

When Keith began to squirm from standing too long, whining that his legs hurt from standing, Shiro whispered, “come here,’ and Keith followed, falling to his knees, trying to figure out the best position. Rather than take the open space between Shiro’s legs, he sits instead on Shiro’s lap and groin. His spine is harshly pressed against the side of the porcelain rather than Shiro’s chest like he had imagined. Keith’s knees knock against the opposing side of the tub, Keith completely curled into a fetal position on top of Shiro while the older man quickly shuffled around to make it more comfortable for the two.

Whatever Keith wanted he guessed.

Keith sighed against Shiro’s neck, hand curling against the skin of Shiro’s chest.

Shiro in return curled his human arm around Keith, perched also against the tub, mindlessly running the tips of his fingers over Keith’s bare shoulder, making Keith curl in further.

“What’s with the books?” Keith asked, having noticed the covers on the toilet beside them.

“I was actually thinking of reading one of them.”

Keith hummed and Shiro swallowed loudly, suddenly unsure. “To you…”

Keith didn’t reply and after a few seconds Shiro followed with, “Outloud.”

Keith chuckled and shrugged. “Sounds good to me,” he mumbled, “aslongasIdonthavetothink.” He said quickly through a yawn, rubbing at his eyes again. “Which ones did you bring?”

“Well, I have either ‘ _The Secret Garden’_ -”

Keith suddenly feels very awake from where he’s pressed against Shiro, muscles tensing. “What the fuck Shiro, this is supposed to be relaxing-”

“It is!”

“A tale about an Orphan girl going back to depressing England after her parents die?”

“It’s so much more than that-”

“Yah but,”

“Maybe I also just wanted to read about something in a faraway land.” Shiro retorts, side grin appeasing and easy.

Keith rolled his eyes. “England’s far away?”

“Relatively.”

Keith relaxes again, and says “Olkarion is far away. We could be in England in a few minutes if we wanted.” Keith chastised, biting at Shiro’s neck in retort, smiling widely. There was a glint in his eye, Shiro seeing through the playfulness.

“Hey, I’m trying to be romantic here. Maybe I was hoping you’d fall in love with the scenery from the novel, say ‘Hey, Shiro, let's go there. Explore our own world for once’.”

“Hey Shiro, let's go there.” Keith repeats, beginning to laugh as Shiro tickles his exposed side. “Explore our own world for once!”

“Brat.” Shiro said, and Keith settled down, nails scratching at Shiro’s chest. It’s quiet, Shiro running his hands over Keith’s side and arm, Keith sighing happily. Shiro decides to let the book idea go for now, instead laying his head back and shutting his own eyes, enjoying everything this moment had to offer.

After a while, it’s Keith who breaks the silence. “We could, y’know. If you wanted.” Keith mutters into Shiro’s torso.

Shiro lifts his head, looking downwards, unsure. “Sorry?

“Go to England, I mean.” Keith reiterates. “I’ve… never been. And it’d be nice...” His face was flushed. “To go with you.”

Shiro was blushing now too. “That’d be nice.” He agreed. “One day then.”

“One day then.” Keith responded, shutting his eyes. “But I do like the book idea. Just maybe let’s not read that one about orphans, please.” This Shiro could understand. Even after finding his mother and building a relationship with her for over two years, Keith was still defensive about how he grew up.

It hadn’t been easy.

“What’s the other one?”

So Shiro reached for the remaining book, and with his mechanic arm somehow managed to shuffle it open.

He felt Keith blink. “What is it?”

“It’s called ‘ _The Giver’_. I used to read it a lot as a kid.”

“Shiro, why are both your suggestions kids book?!”

“Excuse me- The Giver is more than just a kid’s book. It’s about society, and cultural norms and oppression, and it- it’s just beautiful and a quick a read! Have you ever even read it?”

Keith shook his head, laughing at Shiro’s antics. Shiro tightened his hold, dropping his head so his lips pressed as closely to Keith’s ear as they could.

“Then sit back, relax, and listen to me read it to you.”

Keith shivered, Shiro feeling it down to his own toes. “I think you’ll like it.”

“Alright Mister Nostalgia, take it away.” Keith didn’t open his eyes as he helped Shiro turn the page to where the story began.

Shiro pressed another kiss to Keith’s crown, and began to read.

“For all the children, to whom we entrust the future. The Giver, by Lois Lowry.”

Keith sighed, helping Shiro once again to turn the page.

_“It was almost December, and Jonas was beginning to be frightened. No. Wrong word, Jonas thought. Frightened meant that deep, sickening feeling about something terrible about to happen. Frightened was the way he had felt a year ago when an unidentified aircraft had overflown the community twice.”_

Keith stirred, glancing at the book and then to Shiro, intrigued. “Aircraft?”

Shiro laughed lowly, patting against Keith’s shoulder in contempt. “Shh, I’m not even a paragraph in.”

Keith’s ‘sorry’ was stifled, but Shiro understood it nonetheless and continued on.

“ _Squinting towards the sky, he had seen the sleek jet, almost a blur at its high speed, go past, and a second later heard the blast of sound that followed. Then one more time, a moment later, from the opposite direction, the same plane. At first, he had only been fascinated..._ ”

They continued this way for hours, Keith helping Shiro turn pages as Shiro read them allowed. They stopped only midway once to refill the tub with more hot water, epsom salts, and bubbles. Shiro made sure to drink as much of his bottled water as possible, making sure Keith did the same. Keith, he was sure, was probably overheating and dehydrated as he ran like a furnace, and Shiro to keep his voice from cracking.

It was well past midnight and Keith helped Shiro turn the last page, eyelids long past shut, his breathing slowly evening out. He was still awake, but just barely as his head began lulling heavily against Shiro’s chest, limbs twitching that way they did moments before sleep overtook.

“ _... For the first time, he heard something that he knew to be music. He heard people singing. Behind him, across vast distances of space and time, from the place he had left, he thought he heard music too. But perhaps it was only an echo._ ”

Shiro’s voice was dry by the final words, more so whispering into Keith’s ears than reading aloud like he had started. Keith didn’t make a move to help Shiro close the book. Instead he made a noise, a whine as he stirred in his near unconscious state.

“Hey, Keith.” Shiro whispered, tightening his hold against the man he loved. “C’mon. It’s time for bed.”

He felt Keith nod, but didn’t show any interest in moving, and Shiro had withhold his smile.

“Up, up. C’mon, we’re too prunny to be in here any longer.” Shiro helped lift the sagging Keith, who slowly blinked his eyes awake, a noise arising from his throat as he tried to readjust to the light of the bathroom.

The two shuffled out of the tub, embarrassingly slowly as the water drained, and Keith tossed his arms around Shiro’s shoulders, his head continuing to lay against his chest when they touched on the dry flooring. The two remained in this position as Shiro tried to dry them down. It proved to be difficult when it appeared Keith was _not_ moving from his place against Shiro, but Shiro found he couldn’t be mad.

They had only so much time together between their full-time jobs. Every moment was deemed valuable.

Shiro basically carried Keith to the bedroom, not even fully dry from the water as they fell against the mattress.

Shiro pulled the blanket over their shoulders, Keith immediately settling back into his position on top of Shiro as Shiro laid on his back, running his fingers over the curve of where Keith’s naked torso met hip.

“Takashi?” Keith mumbled, minutes before sleep overtook.

“Mm?”

“Can we do that again tomorrow?”

“Of course, Keith. Always.”


End file.
